Thoughts on LeBron James

It’s finally over. The most over-hyped media circus in the history of sports is finally over. And as usual, it didn’t end well for Cleveland.

Being from Ohio and a Cavaliers fan, I definitely bring a biased opinion to the table, but from an unbiased standpoint, there are a few things that stand out to me regarding the LeBron James saga.

First of all, I think it’s important to point out that LeBron James had to make the decision that was best for LeBron James, and that he didn’t owe anything to the city of Cleveland. If the Miami Heat presented the best opportunity for LeBron, then so be it.

With that being said, I think the way James handled the situation was classless. The fact that he scheduled a one-hour special on ESPN to announce his decision was already enough to show his egotistical nature. But the fact that he would go on national television and stab a stake into the heart of his hometown, I mean, who does that?

The fact that he chose to leave Cleveland is not the problem, it’s the fact that he would put himself in that spotlight and then proceed to break the hearts of his most loyal fans.

Bill Simmons, a sports columnist for ESPN.com reiterated my point through a Twitter post, “Totally fine with LBJ switching teams. But doing that to Cleveland via a one-hour TV show was absolutely brutal. An unprecedented Eff You.”

A few comments made by LeBron during the special also stood out to me as a bit ungracious. LeBron used the word “humbling” to describe the recruiting process. Humbling? In what way?

LeBron may be a better basketball player, but I think I have a better grasp on the English language, especially on a word like “humbling.”

Last time I checked, teams and cities throwing money and praise at you, telling you you are the greatest basketball player on the planet isn’t the most humbling experience.

Another point that has often been brought up is if James leaving Cleveland could tarnish his legacy.

In my opinion, it could. Think of the all-time greats in basketball: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant – they all did it with one team. Even in other sports today, the most respected players are the ones who have consistently won with one team: Derek Jeter, Payton Manning, Tom Brady, Tim Duncan. Even Dwayne Wade, who is widely considered second tier to James, was able to win a championship on his own.

LeBron said it himself, a championship is a championship, but there is no doubt there is a lot more respect for a guy who is able to win on his own, especially in a city that hasn’t won a major championship in 46 years.

But what if LeBron never wins a championship? I mean, outside the big three, the Heat don’t have much. As I write this, they don’t have enough players on their roster to count on two hands. Are James, Wade, Bosh and a few guys off the street enough to get it done?

If he can’t win with two of the top eight players in the league, then there is no doubt the legacy is tarnished.

One thing we can say in favor of LeBron is that he stepped away from conventional wisdom and didn’t follow the money. That’s one act most professional athletes cannot relate to.

Regardless of your feelings on LeBron, or the way the situation was handled, one thing we know for sure is that “The Decision” will go down with The Catch, Red Right 88, The Drive, The Shot, The Fumble and The '97 World Series as the most infamous moments in Cleveland sports history.

Cooper Earns All-Freshmen Honors

Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper was recently named to CollegeInsider.com’s freshmen All-America team along with 19 others across the country including Kentucky’s John Wall, Kansas’ Xavier Henry, and Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors.

Rather than assembling a first, second, third, and fourth team like many publications do, College Insider listed all 20 players as one squad.

During his rookie campaign, Cooper averaged 13.5 points per game for the Bobcats as well as 5.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per contest.

In Ohio’s final three games of the season against Akron, Georgetown and Tennessee, Cooper scored 62 points while leading his team to the MAC Tournament Championship and a birth in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Cooper scored a career-high 33 points in a Feb. 14 game at Akron.

The Ohio point guard lead the Mid-American Conference in assists, steals, and minutes, and was second in assist to turnover ratio. He was also among the leaders in points, rebounds, and free-throw percentage.

Nationally, Cooper ranked in the top ten in assists per game, and 14th in steals and is one of only two players to be ranked in the top 15 of each of these categories.

The freshman phenom also broke a school single-season record for steals with 85.

Previously this month, Cooper was named MAC Freshman of the Year, the fifth Bobcat to receive the honor.

Skilled in many aspects of the game, Cooper came close to a few triple-doubles and even a quadruple-double in some games this season.

In a Mar. 4 game against Bowling Green, Cooper showed his versatility by totaling 6 points, ten rebounds, eleven assists, and 7 steals.

Cooper came into the season as Ohio’s most heralded recruit, but it was not until the postseason that he made a name for himself nationally.

When Cooper dropped 23 points on Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and led his team to a commanding win over the Hoyas, coaches around the country were all asking the same questions. “Who is this guy? And how did we not recruit him?”

After a 9th place finish in the MAC in 2010, expect D.J. Cooper and company to take the conference by storm in 2011.

Why Evan Turner, not John Wall is College Basketball’s Player of the Year

Since 1969, when the Atlanta Tipoff Club presented the first Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award to Lew Alcindor of UCLA, no player from either Ohio State or Kentucky has ever won the award.

This year however, it is likely that one of these schools is going to receive its first Naismith Award. The only question is, is it Ohio State’s Evan Turner, or Kentucky’s John Wall?

To me, it’s Evan Turner, and it’s not close. Here’s why:

As Jay-Z once said, “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.” Turner leads Wall in nearly every major statistical category including points per game, rebounds per game, and field goal percentage.

Turner averages 19 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game compared to Wall’s 17, 3.8 and 6.4. Turner also shoots 55.4 percent from the filed while Wall shoots 47. 5 percent.

With his 19 points and 9.4 rebounds a game, Turner nearly averages a double-double, a feat accomplished only a few times in the history of college basketball.

Turner has also recorded two triple-doubles this season, an accomplishment even more rare. Coming into the year, there had been only one triple-double ever recorded in Ohio State history. Turner posted two in just over two weeks.

Another important aspect of a player of the year is the effect he has on his team. In the six games that Turner did not play after suffering a broken back on Dec. 5 against Eastern Michigan, Ohio State was 3-3. Since Turner’s return however, Ohio State has gone 9-1, including nine straight Big Ten wins. The lone loss coming on the road to No. 8 West Virginia.

Since Turner’s return, Ohio State has posted wins at No. 4 Purdue, over No. 14 Wisconsin, and at Illinois.

Big players make big plays in big games. In the biggest games of the year, Turner has shown up and led his team.

In back-to-back games against then 4th ranked North Carolina, and 12^th ranked California, Turner scored 23 and 26 points respectively, and posted double-doubles in points and rebounds in both games.

At No. 4 Purdue on Jan 12, Evan Turner posted a career-high 32 points while leading his team back from a 13-point deficit to claim a 70-66 win.

Against ranked opponents, Turner is averaging 23.2 points and 9.8 rebounds.

Turner has scored 25 points or more five times this season compared to Wall who has only eclipsed the 25-point mark once.

With two-years more experience than Wall, Turner has proven to be the more mature player.

Wall is in the top 10 in the nation in terms of turnovers per game. His 98 total turnovers include four 7-turnover games this season.

Wall has also had a few run-ins with head coach John Calipari.

“I just try not to listen to him and go out and play basketball and try and help my team win,” Wall said of Calipari after a seven-turnover game against Vanderbilt on Jan 30.

Because of the impact he has on his team, and his ability to do more than just score points, Evan Turner is the most compete player in college basketball, and should be acknowledged as such.

Bobcats ink 17 on signing day

With the passing of signing day, the Ohio football team has added 17 new players to the team including 11 incoming freshmen, four junior college transfers and two four-year transfers.

Although the class is smaller than those in years past, Ohio head coach Frank Solich is satisfied with the group they have brought in.

“I’m pleased with the results of what our staff has accomplished,” Solich said. “The numbers in the class are very good. The quality of this class is very good.”

The class includes players at eight different positions, and from seven different states, seven being from Ohio.

“We have been able to attract players from the state of Ohio and we want to continue to have Ohio be the basis of what we’re all about in recruiting,” Solich said.

Two of the bigger names on the list of commitments are Kenny Ashley, a running back transfer from El Camino College in Torrance Calf. and Chase Cochran, a receiver out of Lebanon Ohio.

A highly touted recruit out of high school, Ashley originally committed to USC before transferring to El Camino where he rushed for 693 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.

“We think he is going to be a tremendous back in our system,” Solich said. “He is a big, physical running back with really good movement. We expect him to be dragging some players down the field.”

Solich also spoke highly of Cochran, who was first-team All-Ohio as a high school senior and also earned All-Ohio in track as a sophomore and junior.

“Chase is a speed guy. He has great hands, great speed, and he goes up and gets the ball,” Solich said. “He’s the type of guy that can replace Taylor Price.”

The class also includes Nathan Carpenter, the brother of former Ohio State linebacker and current Dallas Cowboy Bobby Carpenter, as well as the Leftwich twins, Omar and Octavius who are also junior college transfers.

“They’re a very talented group,” Solich said of the twins. “Omar is a lockdown corner, we won’t be afraid to put him against any receiver we face. They’re both capable of stepping on the football field and playing for us right away.”

Along with the Leftwich brothers, Solich believes there are others among the class that can have an immediate impact for the Bobcats.

“They all come with the mindset of being that guy,” Solich said. “But it is clear that there is the ability for some guys to challenge for a starting position.”

Although the class includes some with the ability to start right away for Ohio, Solich believes that they have built the program to the point where it is not necessary for a freshman to start.

Coach Solich also announced the departure of recruiting coordinator Scott Isphording, who recently left the Bobcats to become the quarterbacks’ coach at the University of Toledo.

Perfection

Perfection is a term rarely used when speaking of the National Football League. In fact, only one team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, has ever finished the season with an undefeated and perfect record.

In a time where teams seem more concerned with resting for the playoffs than the number in their loss column, we may never again see a perfect season.

Take for example this year’s Indianapolis Colts. Through 15 weeks, they stood unbeaten and 14-0, and only two regular season and three playoff wins away from the second perfect season in NFL history.

However, with a 15-10 third quarter lead over the New York Jets in week 16, Colts’ head coach Jim Caldwell removed quarterback Peyton Manning and multiple other starters from the game.

The Jets went on to score 19 straight points and defeated Indianapolis 29-15.

After the game, the team seemed unaffected by the loss. Coach Caldwell even stated that a 16-0 regular season was not one of the team’s goals.

“The most important thing for us is obviously to make sure we're operating on all cylinders come the playoffs,” Caldwell said. “That's key. That's important. That’s our focus.”

Indianapolis again rested their starters in week 17, and lost 30-7 to the 6-10 Buffalo Bills.

The New Orleans Saint also pushed their record to 13-0 before losing their final three games, two of which to non-playoff teams.

Not only does a team resting its starters in preparation for the playoffs affect the record books, it also affects the playoff hopes of other teams.

Entering week 17 of the 2009-10 season, five AFC teams: New York, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, and Pittsburgh, stood at 8-7, and were among seven teams competing for the final two spots in the playoffs.

For New York and Baltimore, it was win and you’re in. The other five teams however, needed help.

In order to make the playoffs, the Texans needed a Bengals win over the Jets, and the Steelers needed a New England win over Buffalo, and also a Cincinnati win over New York.

The only problem for these two teams was that New England and Cincinnati had already qualified for the playoffs and won their division, thus rendering their games virtually meaningless and giving them little incentive to win.

Steelers’ linebacker LaMarr Woodley went as far as saying that the Patriots and Bengals would “lay down” for their opponents in order to keep Pittsburgh out of the playoffs.

Both New England and Cincinnati lost, eliminating the 9-7 Steelers.

A similar scenario occurred in 2007 when the 10-6 Cleveland Browns needed a Colts victory over the 9-6 Tennessee Titans in order to secure a postseason birth.

Having already earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage, Indianapolis again rested their regulars, leading to a Tennessee win, and denying Cleveland their first playoff appearance in five years.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently addressed the issue, stating that it is something he would ask the NFL Competition Committee to take a look at.

While Goodell says he does not blame the Colts for their decision to rest their starters, he also stated in an interview with CBS that the league would consider various incentives to prevent teams from benching starters.

Such incentives could include draft position. Goodell also stated that teams would need to make it clear to the public which players would not be playing, similar to what is done with injury reports.

While some contend that it’s important to keep the starters rested and healthy, others would argue that these teams forget how to win and come out flat by the time they play their first postseason game.

The only other team to run the table in the regular season was the 2007 New England Patriots, who continued to play their starters even after securing home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

The Patriots won all 16 regular-season games plus their first two playoff games and were a freak helmet-catch away from winning the super bowl and going undefeated.

There is also the issue of the team’s supporters. Fans pay money expecting to see the stars on the team play, and expecting to see their team put their best effort into winning.

Why should fans pay to watch games less competitive than the four exhibition games that took place five months ago?

If teams like the 1-15 St. Louis Rams or the 2-14 Detroit Lions go out every week fighting to win despite knowing a win could hurt their draft status, shouldn’t teams like the 14-0 Colts and 13-0 Saints play by the same standard?

Just saying.